multi-scale UHPFRC infrastructure strengthening Full-time NEW

Open Fully-funded Ph.D. Position on multi-scale UHPFRC infrastructure strengthening

University of Luxembourg

Prof. Numa Bertola

Please do not apply by email / only submissions  through the official portal are considered

The Sustainable Concrete Structure Laboratory is looking for a new Ph.D. candidate. In this fully-funded position, the Ph.D. candidate will work on using developing a multi-scale approach for sustainable design of UHPFRC strengthening of civil infrastructures.

As the successful candidate, you will contribute to a research project at the intersection of engineering (concrete structures), material science (ultra-high performance fiber-reinforced concrete (UHPFRC)), and infrastructure management (network-scale).

The aim of this Ph.D. project is to develop new solutions for strengthening existing concrete infrastructure to extend their lifespan. The tasks comprise the development of a laboratory campaign of novel eco-UHPFRC mixes with conventional and textile reinforcement, the implementation of these solutions to full-scale case studies, and the study on their life-cycle impacts at the network scale.

This groundbreaking research output will lead to the extension of the service life of concrete infrastructure, leading to significant reduction of carbon emissions and costs of infrastructure management.

Figure 1 Work plan of the proposed PhD topic.

This project is part of a multidisciplinary Horizon-Europe project on sustainable civil infrastructure, with multiple public and private partners across Europe. A European collaboration is intended with case studies or experiments in multiple countries.

This project calls for an open character with a strong knowledge on concrete structures as well as curiosity across discipline boundaries (civil engineering, material science, and computer science). We do not expect any single person to be an expert across all these fields, but you must be open to learning about and embracing challenges in fields you may not yet have been working with. We thus warmly encourage you to apply even if you feel that you only partially meet the criteria in terms of background and expertise, as you will have the opportunity to acquire the missing knowledge during the first year of the project.

About

University of Luxembourg is an international research university with a distinctly multilingual and interdisciplinary character. The University was founded in 2003 and counts more than 6,700 students and more than 2,000 employees from around the world. Times Higher Education ranks the University of Luxembourg #3 worldwide for its “international outlook,” #20 in the Young University Ranking 2021, and among the top 250 universities worldwide. The institution embraces inclusion and diversity as key values. We are fully committed to removing any discriminatory barrier related to gender, and not only, in recruitment and career progression of our staff.

Requirements for the post are:

• Master’s degree (or equivalent) in civil engineering (or related area).
• Good understanding of the structural behavior and material properties of concrete structures and modelling of civil structures. Knowledge of UHPFRC is a plus.
• Curiosity, a genuine passion for scientific research
• Openness to interdisciplinary research and commitment to teamwork.
• Commitment and capacity to critical thinking and good research ethics.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English.

Applications should include:

• Motivation letter answering the following questions: why do you want to work for a Ph.D. degree; why at the University of Luxembourg, and why on this project?
• PDF version of your Master Thesis (file should be no larger than 20MB) with English abstract.
• Curriculum vitae.
• List of publications (if available) or work samples (5 pages max).
• Digital copies of diplomas and complete course grade transcripts (B.Sc. and M.Sc.).

What we offer:

• Fixed Term Contract 36 Month (extendable up to 48 months if required).
• Full Time 40.0 Hours per Week.
• Location: Belval
• Employee and student status.
• The yearly gross salary for every PhD at the UL is EUR 43445 (full time).

Deadline for application: 15.07.2026

Expected Starting Date: 01.11.2026

More information:[Please click the Apply button for the link or address]

Please apply ONLINE formally through the job portal from UL : here

For further information, please contact Prof. Numa Bertola at numa.bertola@uni.lu.

Please do not send your application through email, only applications through the portal are reviewed.

Tagged as: Engineering